Students Involved in Kansas Democratic Party

There were thousands of them, cramped into the Midland Theatre; old and young, all Democrats. Waiting to see if they would win California. Waiting to see if they would experience an event that would only come around once in a lifetime. And it happened, on Nov. 4, Barack Obama was elected the President of the United States. Yet not without the help of students across the nation, including those from East.

Sophomores Eden Mckissick-Hawley and Gabby Magalski are interns at the Kansas Coordinated Campagin, a branch of the Kansas Democratic Party. Mckissick-Hawley has been helping get Democratic candidates elected since John Kerry was campaigning for president. She is officially the Youth Outreach Coordinator at the Kansas Coordinated Campaign.

“We work for all the local Johnson County Democratic candidates that are up for election,” Mckissick-Hawley said.

Mckissick-Hawley was a 40-hour-a-week intern during the Obama campaign and was tasked with increasing voter registration in Kansas City, MO and to increase youth voters. On election day she helped setting up rides for people who did not own cars.

But leading up to election day, Mckissick-Hawley was faced with a few challenges here and there.

“A lot of people are told they can’t vote for false reasons,” Mckissick-Hawley said. “So we told them they’re legal rights, stuff they needed to know.”

But being a teenager in an adult’s business is difficult. Teasing and mocking from people who are older than Mckissick-Hawley is an everyday dilemna. Adults saying things like, “You aren’t even old even to vote, what are you doing” strengthen her and make her more passionate about what she is doing.

“I’m the one getting votes,” Mckissick-Hawley said. “If you are going to be rude about it then fine by me.”

Mckissick-Hawley and the other interns are currently working at about three to four hours every few days a week. Even with no election coming up for a while, the interns are still managing to work hard.

“We are phone banking right now to find out what percentage of voters will be voting Democrat,” Magalski said.

Nowadays, Mckissick-Hawley and Magalski are helping support local candidates like Sue Storm, a former Shawnee Mission School District board member running for State Representative. And others like Stephanie Moore and Tom Holland running for Congress and governor, respectively.

If you want to help the cause, head down to 6516 Martway, at the corner by the DMV, to volunteer. You can also contact Eden Mckissick-Hawley for more information.